DIY co2 + flipper = white growth on the flipper bottom - Aquarium Advice

ing_monkey · 10-29-2009, 07:32 AM

Hi guys,

anybody uses DIY co2 in combination with flipper ?

I have problem with white growth on the bottom of the flipper, which tends to choke bottom part so, only 1 big bubble each time is released. Is there any way how to avoid the growth or make it slower ? I was thinking of driving co2 through extra bottle and water so the growth will be in the bottle outside and not inside of flipper, but not sure if it would help.

I am anyway amazed, that such a big bubble almost disappears until reaching the top. Its just hard to count and doesnt look good. I found SAEs very often suck from small holes on the flipper. Seems they like the white stuff.. A pity they can't go in. They would eat it all.

**neilanh** · 10-29-2009, 11:34 AM

I'm not sure what you mean by a "Flipper"

ing_monkey · 10-29-2009, 11:53 AM

Its dennerle Co2 flipper - device for dissolving CO2 in water i think you know it

dennerle co2 flipper - Obrázky Google

WhiteDevil · 10-29-2009, 06:19 PM

Do you have a check valve between the Co2 source and the flipper? I think you might need a gunk chamber. basically an empty bottle one inlet one outlet, inlet drops the gunk and gas into the bottle, outlet lets just the gas go to the tank.

ing_monkey · 10-29-2009, 06:57 PM

Check Valve you mean like the one which prevents water going back to bottle ?

And that gunk chamber, shouldn't be some water there and co2 buble up through water ?

Because if it gets out of first bottle by air, maybe it will get also through 2nd air. I think its some vapors from the yeast&sugar, which causes the grow.

Thanks for advice, i will try something and see the results.

WhiteDevil · 10-29-2009, 08:08 PM

its a catch can basically, you dont need water in the separator. to bubble thru the water is a reactor.

quaqa88 · 11-04-2009, 05:16 PM

I have seen this white stuff. It is only a calcium build up from the CO2. It is not much to worry about but it should be cleaned off to avoid clogging.

ing_monkey · 11-04-2009, 05:31 PM

calcium build up from CO2 ? Where that calcium comes from ? Water or vapours ? then i should really make separator, because calcium is better in the water than on the flipper

fort384 · 11-04-2009, 05:34 PM

I always had this problem when I used a "flipper" awhile back (I called it a bubble ladder). I installed a gas separator inline with the system, and it still came back. Never did find out exactly what it was, but I just cleaned it off about once every 5 days or so with a tooth brush... nothing I did ever got rid of it.

ing_monkey · 11-05-2009, 04:46 AM

Well, that is exactly what i am worry of - wasting another time to build separator with no real help. The problem of 5 day cleaning is however, that after its clean, it takes another 24 hours to 'estabilish' so small bubbles go separately, not one big bubble. And 5 days is still not that bad, it takes 5 day for me with absolutely new branch of yiest and sugar and absolutely clean flipper. If not, it will come back again in 2-3 days.
It looks to me, i just wasted another 40 EUR for piece of fancy dennerle plastic crap. It looks i will have to use pressurized CO2 which asks another 100 EUR investment. My wife will kill me